Okunoin Cemetery — Attraction in Koya

It is easy to see why this area is designated as an UNESCO world heritage site. It is redolent in history—particularly with regards to the development of esoteric Shingon buddhism by its patriarch Kukai or Kobo Daishi as he was named posthumously. Temples and monasteries dominate the landscape and life there is simple, quiet and dedicated to preserving the tenets and the artefacts of the faith. You can stay in monasteries where the monks will delight you with unknown vegan delicacies for breakfast and dinner. You rise at 6, pray with them at 6:30 (they are open to all comers) and start your day by visiting the enormous number of sites there. The architecture is stunning. Be prepared to remove your shoes a LOT! For the trainspotter in you you can purchase a blank paged book and pay the monks in each monastery to stamp it with their unique seal and write something in it. This is a big deal to the pilgrims who flock there. It is a bit of a fiddle getting there—Finding the connecting train from Osaka was a little bit challenging but once there it is about an hour and a bit to a cable car then on to a bus into town. You won't be disappointed. The hilite for us was the massive Okunoin cemetery dotted with moss covered funerary monuments that evoke a Myazaki-inspired dream. The monuments run through an spectacular forest of ancient cedars that dwarf you as you walk up and around them. At the end of the trail is the resting place of Japan's patriarch of this esoteric branch of Buddhism—Kobo Daishi. this part of the trail is a VERY sacred site and no photographs are allowed but the memories will last a lifetime. That said, I can see that at least one person here took pictures of the sacred lanterns containing the images of the sutras. Clearly, that person does not respect the wishes of the community and that is very...

While a cemetery may not seem like an obvious top attraction, Japan's Koyasan Okunoin is a great exception. One of the most sacred places in the country, this popular pilgrimage spot holds the mausoleum of Kobo Daishi, the founder of Shingon Buddhism.

Daishi, also called Kukai, is one of the most important figures in Japan's Buddhist history. It is said that he sits in eternal meditation while waiting for the Buddha of the Future. Those who make the pilgrimage to his mausoleum do so to ask for salvation in this life.

Upon reaching the cemetery, visitors will cross the Ichinohashi Bridge, which is the first bridge into the cemetery. On the way to the mausoleum, visitors will pass more than 200,000 tombstones. The path leads to Gokusho Offering Hall, where visitors can make offerings, as well as pray for family members they have lost.

A second bridge, the Gobyobashi Bridge, is what separates the most sacred center of the site from the rest of the cemetery. Here is where you'll find the Miroku Stone, as well as Torodo Hall, which is a main worship hall just in front of the mausoleum. The hall is aglow with thousands of lanterns. Behind the hall is the mausoleum itself, and it is a most awesome experience to visit.

You'll feel the power of something – whether you believe or not – as pilgrims from all over the country have come to chant and pray in the presence of...

Okunoin Cemetery is a sacred and historic site located in Koyasan, Wakayama Prefecture, Japan. Koyasan, or Mount Koya, is a mountainous area that serves as the headquarters of the Shingon school of Japanese Buddhism. The cemetery is an integral part of Koyasan, which is a UNESCO World Heritage site.

The cemetery is vast and houses the graves of over 200,000 people, including samurai, monks, and notable historical figures. Many of the tombstones are elaborately adorned, and some belong to prominent individuals from various periods of Japanese history.

Okunoin is considered one of the holiest places in Japan and is a deeply spiritual site. It is the mausoleum of Kukai, also known as Kobo Daishi, the founder of Shingon Buddhism and a revered figure in Japanese religious history.

Free parking and entry either...